Sliding door



March 31, 1953 J. B. LONG ET AL SLIDING DOOR Filed Aug. 10, 1948 m E n TM N m w R WWO m 00 T .D A 5 MM HA mm? 4 4 .2 4 a L Patented Mar. 31,1953 SLIDING DOOR.

John B. Long and Frank D. Downie,

Alameda, Calif.

Application August 10, 1948, Serial No. 43,375

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sliding doors.-

The apparent advantages of sliding doors are often outweighed by theexpense of installation, difficulty of adjustment or repair afterinstallation, and by other disadvantages. For example, doors which slideon a horizontal trackway above or below the door cannot be moved exceptbysubstantial force, unless the suspension arrangement includesexpensive and delicately adjusted ball bearing arrangements or theirequivalent.

To avoid these disadvantages, doors have been designed to hang on acantilever at one side of the door. However, these doors have heretoforefai ed to solve several problems. For one thing, the bars from which thedoor is hung tend to sag as the door moves out, and either the doorscrapes when it is being opened and closed or else it hangs at an angle.Various complicated and expensive structures have been proposed toremedy this difliculty. One of these is shown in the patent to Coe, No.1,410,167. The remedies heretofore applied have either proved tooexpensive to bepractical or else have failed to solve the problem.

When cantilevered doors are installed and are adjusted by such expensivemethods as those shown in the patents to Clarke, No. 375,260 andBalderson, No. 509,643, the wall is closed up around the cantilevers.Subsequent adjustment can be made only by ripping out the wall to get atthe machinery, and if the door sags soon after installation, the cost ofrepair or replacement is almost prohibitive. If the roller jumps thetrack, as has happened with some doors, the same thing is true, and thedoor cannot be moved until the wall is torn out. V

One object of the invention is to solve the above problems.

Another object of the invention is to provide 1 a sliding door whichdoes not require the use of overhead supports or any horizontal tracks.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sliding door of simpleand inexpensive construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sliding door which iseasy to install.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sliding... door whichcan be adjusted or repaired; after. it has been installed and the wallcompleted around its pocket;

Another" object of the invention is to provide a 'sliding 'ddo'r whichcan be moved by finger-tip action.

Another object of the invention is to provide ,a sliding door which willremain stationary in any desired position, without rolling on across thedoorway.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cantilevered slidingdoor which is inexpensive to produce and simple to install, and whichwill not sag as it moves across the opening,

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description of a preferred embodiment. In accordance with U.S. Revised Statutes 4888, this embodiment is described in detail, but itis not intended thereby to narrowly limit the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a door embodying the principles of myinvention, most of the wall aroundone side of the pocket being removedto show the cantilever with more clarity; the removable jamb is removed,and the door is shown in its adjusting position; the dotted lines at theleft of the figure show the cantilever and the edge of the door in itsfully retracted position; I

Fig. 2 is a view in section along the line II-II of Fig. l; theremovable jamb is shown in place, and the door is shown in its closed orextended position;

Fig. 3 is a view in section along the line IlI-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a. view in plan of a different type of roller and trackcombination which may be used;

and

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective ofthe adjustment mechanism at the top ofthe door, the parts being shown partly disassembled in order to showthem more clearly.

The invention is an improved cantilevered door. Its cantilever or hangercomprises two crossed bars, the upper end of one bar being pivotedadjacent and supported by the door, while the upper end of the other baris similarly pivoted and secured at a post in the rear of the pocketknown as the cripple. At the lower ends of the bars are rollers whichslide on vertical trackways secured to the door and the cripple.

Figs. 1 and 2 show a door It adapted to close an opening H or to retractinto a pocket l2 between two walls l3 and M, the walls being completedafter the installation of the door. The door frame comprises a cripple15 at the rear of the pocket i2, a lamb 16 across the opening H from thepocket 12, and a header I! supported over the cripple l5 and jamb l6.

The jamb 16 should be particularly noticed.

It includes a channel 20 covered over in the finished doorway by theremovable stop member 2| (see Fig. 2). When the door is being installedor adjusted, however, the element 2| is left ofi or removed so that partof the door l3 can be slid over into the channel 20 (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2,dotted lines). In this position the rear edge 22 of the door-l is outofthe pocket vI2andis accessible for adjustment or removal. Whenthestop'il is in place again the door cannot be moved out far enough forthe mechanism to show. This removable jamb thus makes possibleadjustment of the door l0 after installation.

Preferably guides 25 are installed alongthe pated arshort-distance'inside these studs and prevent the door from rubbing against the studs.

"Runners or'tracks are secured adjacent "the lower ends of the cripplel5 and the rear edge 22 of the door 10. These runners or tracksmayeither-comprise grooved channels and 3|, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, orprojecting ridges 32, as shown'in Fig. '4.

The 'cantilevercompri'ses two crossed arms andg36 pivoted at theircenter point on a bolt or 'stud 31. The arm' 35 runs from the'upper endof the cripple-i5 to the lower'end of the door l0, and. the arm '36 runsfrom the lower end of the cripple to the upper end of the door. At itsupper end,

the arm 35 is pivoted on a bolt 38, which is held by a bracket 39, fixedto the .cripple l5 about 3 or 4 inches below the header IT.

A somewhat similarbracket 40 is preferably secured at a similarlocationnearthetop of the "door J0 i('see the enlargedyiew 'in Fig. 5). Thisbracket '40 difiers from the bracket 39 in thatits :upstan'ding'portion4| "is perforated by two-vertical slots 42. 'A plate 43' has horizontalslots 43 corresponding in position approximately to the slots 42. 'Theplate '43"is adjustably secured to :the bracket '40 by bolts 44, thevertical and horizontal position of the plate depending on the positionofthe bolts 44 in the vertical slots 42 and in the horizontal slots '48inthe plate. The plate 43 is perforatedat 45 to receive a stud or bolt43 about which the upperend of the arm 33 rotates.

At the lower end ofeach of the arms 35 and 35 arerollers. 5,3 and 5|,which are adapted to roll 'alongthe'tracks 130 and 3 I. The roller '50and its track '30 should: be pr por i n so that roller is confinedhorizontally for a distance somewhat .greaterthan the maximum verticalclearance of thedoon so that it cannot jump thetrack. 'Once the angleofswing about thepivot point '46 isdetermined, the depth of groove 33 isdetermined 'by'the proportionsoi the door. For example, the track-3flshouldbe twice as deep as the possible vertical swingabout thepivotpoint 46, where the :distancefrom the roller to the pivot point '45 istwice as great as the distance from the pivot point 43' to the upperright hand .corner of the door. Thus, if the track 33 is grooved '(as inFigs. 2 and 3), the groove must be at least as deep as the maximumvertical clearance of the door. If the roller 52 is grooved as in Fig.4, its groove should be correspondingly deep. Theroller 5| and-runner 3l -may bethe same as the-roller 50 and runner 30pbut the grooves couldbe shallower.

-An "important feature of this door is that the ..inch. With a heavyhardwood dooror over-size door, the offset should be about'% of an inch.The effect of this ofiset is to make the door run "up hill as it closes,its uphill path being exactly balaneed by the sag.

To provide exact balance, so that the door will remain stationary in anyposition to which it is 'moved, there may be a hook 60 on the arm 35,ralhook Simon the. door edge 22, and a spring 62 betweenthem. By havinga chain 63 on one end of'thespring 62, the tension of the spring 62 maybe adjusted simply by inserting the proper link of the chain around.'thehook 5|.

A door of this type can be moved'withfinger tip pressure. In order toprevent "the rear edge of the doorfrom banging against the cripple whenthe door :is opened by too'much force, a .shock spring 651may be placedadjacent the upper end ofthe cripple.

It will be evident from :the above. description that even after: thedoor is :in place it may be readjusted simply by removing the element 2|from. the jamb and sliding the door 10 over into the channel 23. Thenthe bracket 40'will move 'out'into .the opening. Thedoor :13 may beremoved completely; or the pivot point of the arm '33 may be resetporadjustedhorizontally or vertically. .Also, thev tension of :the spring52 :may be adjusted "by movinga difierentlink; of .the chain 63 aroundthehook-S-l.

We claim:

.1. A bracket :for' pivotally supporting one end of acantilever bar:and. for: "enabling the pivot point to. be positioned with respect to amember :to "which said bracket is attached; including :in combination, aplate'.;having .a: pivot pin :transfixingiit and alsohaving'iaipluralityof parallel slots therethrough; an L-channel, :one leg of which isadapted to be secured to :said member, its other leg having a'pluralityof parallel slots corresponding in number to the slots on said plate,the slots on said channel running in .a direction perpendicular to theslots in said plate; anda plurality of bolt members, each. of whichpasses through a slot in said channel .andJa .slot insaid.plate..whereby the location of said pivot pin with. respect .to themember. .to which said bracket is attached can be varied by varyingthepoints of intersection of-said-slots.

2. A sliding door construction having provision :for adjustment-thereofafter installation in a wall having a door receiving pocket" and adoor-closable opening adjacent .oneedge of the pocket, comprising incombination a. door adapted to close said-opening and to slide back intosaid pocket .for :clearing the opening, a cantilever support including apairv of 'pivotally connected crossed arms having upper and lower ends,said upper ends of the arms being respectively pivotally connected to afixed/bracket at the rear of said pocket and an adjustable bracket at.the rear edge of the door adjacent the upper end thereof, said lowerends of the arms being each provided with a roller engageable with avertical track respectively secured to the rear: of said pocket "andtherear edge of 'said door adjacent the lower end thereof, an elongatedmoilspring having one end thereof secured to the arm whose upper end ispivotally connected to said fixed bracket intermediate its rollerprovided end and the pivotal connection between the arms, a springtension adjusting chain having one end thereof connected to the oppositeend of said spring, anchoring means on the rear edge of said doorintermediate said adjustable bracket and said second track forselectively receiving any link of the chain in the adjustment of thetension of the spring, and a normally closed recess in said wall at theedge of said opening opposite said pocket for receiving a front portionof the door and with the rear edge of the door together with saidadjustable bracket, second named track and said spring tensioning chainexposed in said opening for ready repair or adjustment thereof.

3. The structure according to claim 2, wherein said rollers and saidtracks respectively overlap horizontally to an extent greater than thevertical clearance of said door in said opening, so that movement ofsaid door in said opening can not cause said rollers to becomedisengaged from said tracks, the path of the roller on said track at therear of said pocket lying closer to the door than the pivot point onsaid fixed bracket, whereby the door will tend to run uphill at an anglesufficient to balance the amount of sag caused by its extended position.

4. A cantilevered door adapted to move in and thereby; a bracketsupported on said door for pivotally supporting the other one end ofsaid cantilever bar and for enabling the pivot point to be positionedwith respect to said door, said bracket including a plate having a pivotpin transfixing it and also having a plurality of parallel slotstherethrough; an L-channel, one leg of which is adapted to be secured tosaid door, its other leg having a plurality of parallel slotscorresponding in number to the slots on said plate, the slots on saidchannel running in a direction perpendicular to the slots in said plate;and a plurality of bolt members, each of which passes through a slot insaid channel and a slot in said plate, whereby the location of saidpivot pin with respect to said door can be varied by varying the pointsof intersection of said slots; and rollers on the lower ends of saidbars adapted to roll up and down on said rails.

JOHN B. LONG. FRANK D. DOWNIE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 375,260 Clarke Dec. 20, 1887511,208 Nilson Dec. 19, 1893 606,659 Hartman July 5, 1898 1,267,415Huckestein May 28, 1918 1,612,934 Miller Jan. 4, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 6,675 Great Britain May 6, 188'? OTHER REFERENCESBuilding Reporter, Architect Forum, February 1949, p. 158,

